Electrode holder for spiral pipe machines



March 28, 1950 J. R. FREEZE ELECTRODE HOLDER FOR SPIRAL PIPE MACHINES I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1948 IN V EN TOR. rfamvr unzv for FkEEzE,

illllll III I ATTORNEYS.

March 28, 1950 J. R. FREEZE 2,501,345

ELECTRODE HOLDER FOR sump PIPE MACHINES Filed Feb. 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I l I l I l l I I II II(. Illl QNN WNN

March 28, 1950 J, FREEZE 2,501,845

ELECTRODE HOLDER FOR SPIRAL PIPE MACHINES Filed Feb. 17, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H61 INVENTOR. Javnnm for Fr Patented Mar. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRODE HOLDER FOR SPIRAL PIPE U MACHINES Jonathan Roy Freeze, Middletown, Ohio, assignor to Armco Steel Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Application February 17, 1948, Serial No. 8,758

4 Claims. (Cl. 219-6) its a 19511 This invention relates to a machine for makrelation of the electrode holder thereto, are best ing spiral welded pipe from flat rolled metal, and seen in Figure 1. more specifically to an electrode holder therefor Passing between a pair of edge guide rollers and to its associated mechanisms. The details ii the stock passes through the driving. roll unit of the machine and method are disclosed and indicated generally at I8. It is the unit l8 which claimed in a copending application in my name, thrusts the stock into the forming mechanism Serial No. 101,883, filed June 28, 1949, and conwhere it is formed into a helix. stituting a division of the present application. When the stock issues from the driving unit l8 Spiral welded pipe has been made from flat it is moving in a substantially horizontal plane rolled metal for a number of years and such pipe 10 and in order to enter the forming mechanism it has been more or less commercially successful. must ride up an inclined plane as indicated at For example, pipe has been made commercially Mia. The forming means comprises essentially for many years in accordance with the teachings a. fixed bending knee indicated generally at H! of my earlier Patents Nos. 1,793,281 and 1,793,282, and the heel roller 20 and buttress roller 21!. The dated February 17, 1931, but the manufacture of stock passes over the knee [Sand under the rolls pipe in accordance with the principles therein and 2|. Since the stock enters the forming set forth has always been attended by a great mechanism at an angle, the forming means bends many difiiculties. the stock to form it into a helix, and as a con- It is an object of my invention to provide an volution is formed its rear edge comes to a posielectrode holder for a machine of the class de- 20 tion adjacent the forward edge of the entering scribed, which holder is conveniently adjustable stock, and substantially at this point the weld is longitudinally of its support, and which may made. also be conveniently adjusted by tilting the front The portion of the machine thus far described, or rear end thereof. Another object of my inis mounted on a frame indicated generally at 22, vention involves the provision of means whereby "15 which frame is provided with casters (not shown) the adjustments mentioned above may be perriding on the curved tracks, 24, and the entire formed easily even though stock is wound around unit and the frame 22 is swung about the pivot the bending knee during the formation of pipe, point 25 to produce the desired helical angle. whereby the electrode holder itself is inacces- This is accomplished by means of a motor 26 sible. 3O driving the screw 21 through the gear reducer The foregoing and other objects of the inven- 28. The screw 2'! enga e 0 a ut 29 ch is a tion which will be discussed in more detail herep Of e SWingable fra he 0 ea inafter, or which will be apparent to one skilled reducer and screw are mounted upon a bracket in the art upon reading these specifications, are which is pivoted at 3|, and it will be clear that accomplished by that certain construction and the motor 26 in turning will cause the feed unit arrangement of parts of which the following is to be moved in an arcuate path about the pivot an exemplary embodiment. Reference is made point 25.

to the drawings forming a part hereof, and in Having thus described in a more or less genwhich: eral waythe machine as a whole, certain indi- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the 40 vidual features thereof will now be described in machine with parts broken away and other parts more detail. As was pointed out above, the stock removed for clearer understanding. in passing from the driving rolls I8, to the form- Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view showing dein g mechanism, moves over the inclined plate Illa.

tails of the bending knee and the electrode holder. The bite between the heel roll 20 and thebend- Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3' 3. ing knee [9 is not parallel to the bite between 'rolls of Figure 2. I 18. Both of these bites are, howevenin hori- Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line zontal planes, so that normally the' stock between 4-4 of Figure 3 and slightly enlarged. the rolls l8 and the forming mechanism would Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken have to be twisted. This difiiculty is avoided as on the line 5-5 of Figure 4. I 50,.follows: the inclined plate lllais secured adja- Throughout these specifications I have used cent to the bending knee l9 and its lower edge the word stock to designate the flat rolled metal lilb is parallel to the axis of the bending knee. which is formed into a helix and welded to pro- It overlies the horizontal plate or table We over duce the finished pipe. which the strip is fed from the driving mechan- The general layout of the machine and the ism 18, The stock thus passes over two plane surfaces I a and I 00, which are disposed at an angle to each other with the line of intersection of said planes being parallel to the axis of the forming mechanism. In order to confine the stock and to cause the bend in the stock to occur substantially as described, a number of holddowns 32. are provided. These hold-downs are of varying length so that their'ends lie substantially on the intersection of the planes described. By these means the stock is caused to be bent along a line substantially parallel to the axis of the forming mechanism so that the forming op eration is accomplished without twisting.

When stock which is initially flat transversely of its length is formed into a helix it is characteristic that the edge of the stock will turn up a small amount in an upward direction so that the welded p pe will be characterized by an upstanding swell following along the seam. Inorder to overcome this difiiculty I provide an edge counterbending mechanism at 35, which is described in detail and claimed in my said copending. application.

line-construction of the bending knee .wlll now be described:

Generally speaking thebending knee I9 isa cylindrical member which at one end is sup portedby and welded to aside frame member. Adjacent its. other end (the delivery end) the knee is supportedby means of a bracket I02 having. a semi-cylindrical. cradle I03,which has a helical edgeIM. Theknee ls, securedto the cradle bymeansof bolts I05. The helical edge IN is, of course, provided topermit the strip to ba -coiled about the bending knee.

Longitudinally of the knee atthe top there is a slot in which areseated a seriesv of'blocks I01 each carrying a small roller I08. It will be understood that. a series of blocks I0! is prov-idcdfor eachhelical angle at which the entering stock is to'be'ied. When it is desired to change helical angles the entire set of blocks ID! are removed-and another set having rolls atv the appropriate angle is inserted. The rollers I08 support. the enteringstock as it passes over the bendingknee.

The bending knee is alsoprovided with the longitudinal grooves III! whose purpose will be described below. The exit end has a portion of reduced size'as indicated at III which serves as, a: supportfor the saddle for the electrode holder indicated generally at II2.

Passing through the longitudinal grooves H0 are the tubular members H3 which are threaded into the saddle member II2 as indicated at H4. The tubes I I3are connected up by a strap member II5 which is perforated for the passageof the-tubes andthe tubes are secured'inposition by' lock nuts H6. The strap. member II5 has a; .ccntral perforation. II I for the passage-of a sleeve'memberr II9- formed with a turret head I20. The strap member is confined against the turret-head I20 by acollar I2] secured to the other end ofgthe sl,eeve .II9.- Thesleevealllis internally threaded-1 for the-passage of the stud I I I3 secured to-the machineframe.

From-the foregoing;description'it will be undere stood that when the--.turret-head I20 is-rotated the-strap H5 will beamoved to the left-orright of'Figure:2, carrying'with it thetubes H3 and thereby'the saddle I I2.

Thesaddlell2isprovided with a recess I22 within which the electrode holder I23 rests; The electrode ho der. rests; upon inverted cup shape members-I24 placed :over thee-upper. ends of the helical springs I 25. The lower ends of the springs I25 are retained in cup members I26. Passing through the tubular members H3 are the rods I21 to the ends of which are secured by means of a universal coupling indicated at I28a the wedge shaped elements I28 which are arranged to underlie the cups I26. At their other-ends the rods I27 are threaded as at I29 and engage in the nuts I30 secured to the ends of the tubes H3.

From the foregoing it will be clear that rotation of the rods I2'I will cause the wedge shaped portions I28 to be moved toward the right or left of Figure 3, causing the electrode holder I23 to be raised or lowered. From a consideration of Figure 2 is will be clear that the construction just described is duplicated for the other end of the electrode holder so that the front or rear end of the electrode holder may be raised or lowered as required.

The electrode holder is provided witha recess I3l within which the-electrode, proper I32 is seated. The electrode is hollow as:,at:I33 anda: flexible water connection indicated. generally at I34 is provided for a coolant topass through the electrode and be withdrawn therefrom by a'flex ible connection I35.

The completed and welded pipe; passes out through an exit guide arrangement (not shown) the primary purpose of; which is to fixthe exit direction of thepipe; to, facilitate subsequent handling. In connection with theexit guide the usual cut-off device may be provided, if desired;

The actual welding head and its associated,

mechanisms are not described in detail as they form no part of thepresent invention.

Only so much of the complete machine has been described and shown as is necessary to an understanding of the operation of the electrode holder and its adjustments. The details of the machine are fully described and claimed in my said copending application, to'which reference is hereby made.

While certain aspects of the invention have been described in considerable detail, this has been primarily by Way of illustration. Many modifications may be made'in details of construction Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for making spiralwelded pipe from metal stook, having a bending. knee about which said stock is formed into a helix with substantially meeting stock edges, an extension on the exit endof said bending knee, an electrode holding member mounted on said extension for sliding movement axially of said. knee, and means extending; longitudinally through said knee for positioning-said member from the entrance end of 'said'knee:

2;. A mechanismaccordingzto claim: 1, inwhich an electrode is-mounted in-said-holding member at an angle to the axis of said knee, the ends'of said electrodebeing yieldingly" supported at its ends, and meansrare provided for selectively raising'or lowering said ends;

3. A mechanism according toclaim 2, in which said raising and lowering means. comprise in: clinedrplanes underlying said ends, and rods passing through said kneeiorv actuating said planes. wherebythe position. ofsaidelectrode may 5 be controlled from the entrance end of said machine.

4. A mechanism according to claim 3, in which the means extending longitudinally through said knee for positioning said member are hollow, and said rods pass through said hollow means.

JONATHAN ROY FREEZE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 375,435 Alden Dec. 27, 1887 781,355 Peavey Jan. 31, 1905 1,018,291 Beadle Feb. 20, 1912 1,288,134 Naylor Dec. 17, 1918 1,649,613 Olson Nov. 15, 1927 Number Number 

